Moving-picture camera.



H. L.FRITZ.

MOVING PICTURE CAMERA.

APPLICATION IILED JUNE e, 1910.

1,070,954. Patented Aug. 19, 1913.

Inventor (J1/wary L. Fritz.

lilly/3 UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIoE.

HENRY L. FRITZ, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF FIFTY-ONE ONE- HUNDREDTHS T0 HENRY F. DALY, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

MOVING-PICTURE CAMERA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 19,1913.

Application led June 6, 1910. Seria! No. 565,282.

To all 'whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, HENRY iL. FRITZ, a. citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in-the county of Los Angeles and- State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Moving- Picture Cameras, of which the following is a speciication.

This invention relates to moving picture cameras such as used for exposing the films which are afterward used in moving picture machines for throwing moving pictures upon a screen.

The object of the invention is to provide improved means for guiding the film at the lens opening enabling the film to be more readily threaded across the opening.

Referring to the annexed drawing forniing a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the camera, the drawing of which is partly broken away so as to show' tion of the shutter and the means for holding directs the film at the back of the lens box.

To refer more particularly to the parts,8 represents a camera box whichis of rectangular form and mounted upon a suitable pivot screw 9,' which is secured on the center of a table 10 forming a tripod 11. On this table 10 there is mounted a worm-wheel 12 with which a worm 13 meshes and this work is mounted in brackets 14 on the under side of the case or box 8 as shown. By rotating the Worm 13 the camera can be adjusted on the Vertical pivot 9 so as to point in any direction. The box 8 is of narrow width as Viewed in plan and it is provided with a side door 15 which is adapted to swing open on hinges 16, and this door -is constructed so that it is light proof, its ed es fitting in rabbeted grooves formed in t e edges of the box 8.

In the forward wall 17 of the box a lens opening 18 is formed behind which the lens box 19 is placed carrying a lens 20 and the rear end of this lens box is formed into a guide plate 21 which is elongated as shown in Fig. 3. Just tothe rear of this guide plate 21, frame plates 22 and 23 are provided, disposed respectively at the left side and the right side of the interior of the box. These frame lates are connected by a plurality of horlzontal studs or posts 24 and 25 as shown, there being one post 26 dis-.

posed forwardly of the others and this post forms a seat for the rear end of a coil spring 27, the forward end of which is attached to the back end of a guide block 28 shown in' Fig. 7. This guide block 28 is formed on its forward face with a vertical uide groove 29 which guides the film 30 own across the rear side of the guide plate 21 as indicated in Fig. 3. The upper end of this block 28 is provided with an opening 31 through which a pin 32 may be run, the end of the said pin being received in the frame plates 22 and 23 as shown. This pin is removable to enable the guide block to be removed so as to permit the film to be placed across the rear end of the lens box and the block 28 is then replaced with spring 27 thrusting against the post 26.

In order to facilitate this mode of operation the rear end of spring 27 is bent to form a saddle 33 which seats against the post 26 as shown. From this arrangement it will be evident that the film can be readily applied to the groove 28 without necessitating its being passed down or threaded through the groove.

The rear ends of the frame plates 22 and 23 are formed with diverging arms 34 and 35 and between the arms 34 a guide roller 36 is mounted, having pins 37 near the en ds thereof, and these pins are adapted to engage the perforations at the edges of the film so as to advance the film, as will be readily understood. Coperating with the roller 36 there is a roller 38 which holds the film in contact with the roller 36 in the u'sual manner. A roller 39, which is similar to roller 8G is mounted between the arms 35 and it is provided with pins 4() and has a cooperating roller 4l'similar to roller 38. 1n order to hold the film in contact with the rollers 36 and 3.) as it passes around the same, two pairs of leaf springs 42 are provided which are made in one piece by anintegral bow 48 which passes around the forward side of the post 2G. These springs 42 rest against the posts Q5 and their extremities are curved so as to form shoes 44 which rest against the surface of the rollers as indicated in Fig. 3.

On the outer side of the frame plate Q3 a master gear 45 is mounted and this gear is adapted to be rotated by means of a crank lf3 on the outer side of the case. This crank 4G has a hub 47 on the periphery of which a pin 48 projects, and this pin at each revolution operates a counter t9 in the door l5 and indicating the length of film which has passed the lens opening, The crank t() is removed from the hub 47 for opening the door and is inserted through an opening therein after it is closed for turning said hub 47 and the master gear. This master gear drives both the rollers 3G and 559 for which purposethe shafts 50 of these rollers are provided with pinions 5l and 52 respectively, said pinions meshing with the master gear as indicated in Fig. l. The forward ends of the frame plates 2Q and 23 are formed with downwardly projecting arms an'd between these arms a counter-shaft 54 is rotatably held, said counter shaft being provided with a pinion 55 which meshes with the master gear as indicated. (.)n the left -side of thiscounter shaft bevel gears 5G are provided which connect with the shutter shaft 57 which extends upwardly and carries a shutter 58 which is illustrated in detail in Fig. 4. This shutter is in the form of a disk having two diametrically opposite openings 59 which are adapted to pass before the lens 2O as indicated in F l. When the openings are passing the lens an exposure takes place but when the body of the disk is disposed before the lens the lig'ht is cut olf as will be readily understood; At diametrically opposite points on an axis at rightv angles to the axis joining the openings 5) the edge of the shutter disk is provided with notches (30 and these notches are adapted to be engaged by a pin (il which passes down through the wall 62 of the box. This pin has an enlarged headI` against the under side of which thrusts a coiled spring G3, the bottom of which rests on the cover of the box as indicated.

The right end of shaft 54 projects as shown and carries a Hy wheel (it which tends to cause a uniform velocity of rotation for the mechanism. 0n this shaft' 5t adjacent to the inner face of the frame plates Q3 a stop wheel 65 is mounted which stop wheel is shown in detail in Figs. 5 and 6. Tt is formed with a rabbet groove GG and two diametrically opposite points of the wheel 65 are provided with notches (37, and the bottoin of the rabbetgroove at these points is provided with projecting teeth (38. larallel with .the shaft 54 there is provided a roller shaft G9 which provided with a Y'froller 70 having teeth 71.- adapted to be received in the perforations near the edge of the film7 and the shaft 69 is provided with a wheel 72 having concave side edges which lie against the curved periphery of the stop wheel 65 and presenting four points or teeth 7? as shown. On the shaft 69 opposite the rabbet groove G6 a head 7l is attached7 said head being of angular form and presenting four corners or teeth 75, one of which normally lies adjacent to the bottom of the rabbet groove as indicated. lith this arrangement at each half revolution of the wheel (3.3 one of the teeth (38 strikes one of the corners or points 75 of the head 74 and gives the shaft 69 a quarter revolution. lt should be understood that normally the wheel 65 locks the shaft G9 against rotation by reason of the star wheel 72, butxat the moment that the tooth G8 strikes the corner of the head 74 a notch 67 permits the star wheel to rotate through a quarter turn. In :this way the roller f7() is periodically given a rotation and in the interval it is held fixed against rotation. In this manner the lm as it passes the focus point behind the lens is held fixed for each exposure and just at the time the film is being held fixed one of the openings S9-of the shutter is passing the lens.

In the lower part of the camera box a delivery reel box 76 is provided and a take up reel box 77. These boxes are rectangular in form and have hinged doors 78 for closing their sides. Their sides and the side doors 7S are provided with openings 79 to receive the ends of the spools 80 and S1 carrying the film. In order to hold the boxes in their proper position they are nlade wide enough so that they substantially fill the camera box lengthwise, and adjacent` to the cover wall S2 of the film box blocks 83 are provided which are attached to the side wall of the camera box and hold the film box against moving upwardly in the camera box when it is being handled. The take up film box 77 is provided with a removable spindle Si which is applied to the bore of the spool 8l so as to rotate the spool when the spindle is rotating and the spindle is adapted to be rotated byv means of a sprocket wheel which is .rigidly attached thereto and rotated by means of a sprocket chain S6 which extends upwardly and passes around a sprocket wheel S7 carried on the shaft 50 of the aforesaid pinion 32. The spindle S4 extends beyond the rear wall of the take up box and is provided with a wing nut`84a for adjusting a coiled tension spring 84b which is disposed around the spindle and seated against the side of the box as indicated in Fig. 2.

The walls 82 of the film boxes are 'provided with guide openings or slots 88 through which the film 30 passes. The course of the film in passing from the delivery box to the take up box is indicated by the dotted line in Fig. l. It passes upwardly from the box 76 and passes around the guide roller 89 connecting the upper ends of the arms 34 of the frame plates and just above the roller 38. From this point the film passes downwardly between the rollers 36 and 38 and then passes over in a loop so that it can pass down through the guide block 28. After leaving the guide block` 28 it passes around the guide pulley 70 which is controlled by the stop movement shown in Fig. 6, and thence it passesy between the guide rollers 39 and 41; it then passes downwardly through t-he slot 88 of the take'up box where it wraps upon the spool 81.'

In the operation of the device the rotation of master gear 45 rotates the guide rollers and advances the film across the rear end of the lens box, at the same time the stop movement shown in Fig. 6 is-driven so as to hold the film and advance it periodically at this point. When the film is being held fixed by the operation of thestop movement shown in Fig. 6 one of the openings 59 of the shutter will pass the lens opening and make an exposure of the film. The light is then cut' off by the body of thev disk 58 -and while it for the next exposure;

Special attention is called to the means for removably securing the guide block 28 in position and to the factl that the removability of this block greatly facilitates the threading of the film across the rear end of the lens box. After the film has been completely exposed' it can be completely Wrapped up on the spool 81 and the spindle 84 can then b e removed so as to permit the removal ofthe box 77 with its film. Another box'can then be substituted and provided with the spool 80 which was left in the box 7 Gand from which the film has just been uncoiled. This spool 80. can then be mounted on the spindle 84 like` the spool 81 and the new film can then bethreaded down through the slot 88 and attached so that it will wrap upon the spool in the saine manner as before.

What I claim is 1. An apparatus of the class described, comprising a box having a lens therein, means forV advancing a film adjacent to the lens, a frame mounted in said box having arms uextending toward the lens, a grooved guide block supported between said arms, a removable transverse bar carriedv by said arms to removably support said guide block, and a spring bearing against said guide pilock for holding it in position over the 2. An apparatus of the class described, comprising a box having a lens, a film guided adjacent to said lens, a frame mounted to the rear of said film guide having arms projecting from the front end thereof, a film feeding mechanism mounted between one set of arms, a guide block pivotally mounted between another set of arms and adapted to hang opposite the-film guide, a transverse bar carried by said frame, a spring interposed between the said bar and the guide block for holding it against the film, the said frame also having rearwardly extending bifurcated arms, feed rollers pivoted between the upper and lower bifurcated arms and springs carried by the said transverse barof the framing bearing at their ends against said feed rollers, and other bars upon said frame for making said springs effective in their pressure upon the feed rollers.

3. An apparatus of the class described, comprising a box having a lens adapted to receive film carrying and receiving-receptacles, a guide for the film adjacent to said lens, a mechanism carrying frame mounted vadjacent to said guide, a guide block piv roted in one end thereof and adapted to press adapted to engage the film adjacent and inside of the teeth on the feed rollers.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 21 day of May, 1910.

y HENRY L. E RiTz. Witnesses:

F. D. AMMEN,

EDMUND A. STRAUSE.` 

